Welcome to the new age
by Marie Arlang
Summary: Young Justice season 3. Dick is still on a leave of absence and Artemis can't move on after the death of Wally. Meanwhile, M'Gann and Conner try to re-built their friendship, and Barbara feels more alone than ever. But they have to be a real team again, because they have to face another threat.
1. Sad and angry

**WELCOME TO THE NEW AGE**

**|STAR CITY**

**|SEPTEMBER 3, 00:17 PDT**

The blonde took the binoculars in front of her eyes. The drug dealers were almost all here, and then she, and the rest of the squad that came with her, will able to take all of them down. Someone wriggled next to her, and Artemis looked at the little hyperactive ginger speedster. The wind delicately touched his red hair. Red like fire. Red like Wally's.

"Artemis?" Bart whispered to her. "Are they all here now? I'm getting bored!"

Tigress chuckled a little at the eagerness of the young Allen. It reminded here so much of Wally. Like the way he didn't like to wait for the action or how he hated staying put for even a few seconds. Always needing to move, to actually doing something. And those eyes…Those emerald green eyes, so hypnotizing. So similar to Wally's. Coming from the awesome Iris West-Allen, greatest reporter at Central City and best Aunt in the world, as Wally used to say. Artemis never contradicted him.

"Patience, Bart. Patience," she murmured, smiling slightly at him. Like she used to, but at the same time, very differently. "They're almost here."

"We've been here for two hours!" He whined desperately.

"I almost missed the complaint of a speedster." Karen joked suddenly in their ears. "Almost."

"What would a mission be without a speedster complaining?" The voice of Malcolm filled the air.

The lovely laugh of Cassie joined them and even Bart couldn't help but smile. They always liked to tease Bart about his impatience when they were on mission. Luckily, he never seemed to care.

"Well, Unc…I mean, Flash would have my head if I came back at three in the morning."

Silence.

Right. Since Wally's death, Bart had been living with his grandparents. They had insisted on being closer to him, and the young speedster had been thrilled about the idea of knowing them like he always wanted. Besides, the presence of Bart helped Barry to get through it. On the other hand, Artemis hadn't spoken to the Flash since the death of his nephew. She blamed him for the death of the love of her life, and she didn't know if she would be able to forgive him one day. Or face him, looking him in the eyes. And he knew that and dealt with it.

"He understands, Impulse." The blond archer mumbled. "He's a hero to. He comes home late too."

"He hates knowing that I'm out at night."

"That's the job."

Artemis hated doing that. Becoming this cold and heartless girl again. With the outside so emotionless, but with so much pain inside of her. However, it had been Wally who essentially helped her to show her emotions, finally feeling something real that was not pain and sadness. Without him, she was completely lost. Like she used to be.

* * *

><p><strong>|CENTRAL CITY<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 3, 09:45 CDT**

Barry Allen was not the kind of person who became depressed easily. In fact, he was one of those few people who, even in your darkest day, could make you smile, simply and easily. He always made Iris laughed. He and…Wally. They were the light in her life. But since Wally's death, her husband was not the same. He smiled rarely even if this was one of the best moments of his life with their unborn twins on the way. The man who sat in the living room right now was not the Barry she fell in love with years ago.

"Barry? Can I talk to you for a minute?" The pregnant woman asked as she entered the room.

"Are you okay honey?" Barry looked at her, worry in his shining blue eyes. "Is it the babies? Are they coming?"

He tried not to sound too loud as the excitement at the thought passed through his mind. Bart was still sleeping after a long mission that had only ended at two in the morning. The poor boy must be exhausted.

"Not so soon, sweetie!" Iris smiled softly at him as her husband blush slightly. "Are you alright, Barry?" She asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"Uh…Yes. Yes I am." He answered almost immediately.

"Are you sure, sweetie?" The young woman pressed and the fastest man alive looked at her weirdly.

"Yes. I mean," he cleared his throat, "I know I haven't been the same since Wally's…death, but I'm good. I know you are worried, hon, but I…I'm good. I'm handling it."

Barry has never been a good liar. At least, not to Iris. She's known him for so long – so long that both of them couldn't remember when they first met - and she always knew exactly when he was lying, or hiding stuff. That was how she found out about him being the famous Flash, protector of Central City. And now, he was lying straight to her face to reassure her. But she didn't buy it.

"By your face, I assumed you know I was lying, right?" The blond man sighed.

"I know you too well to buy your pathetic lies, Allen." She growled and this time, Barry got up from the comfortable sofa and walked towards her. He tried to smile at her.

"Iris, I know you are worried about me, but… I can tell you I'm fine. Stop worrying about me and how I feel and focus on yourself." He placed his right hand to her soft skin in a tender gesture and Iris closed her eyes at his touch. "What I am worried about right now is you."

He could felt her hot breathe against his skin and instantly, he felt safe. It was always like that when his wife was around him. She was his home. Since Wally's death, he would have lost hope and the will to live if it wasn't for his Iris to keep him sane. He could have run away a thousand times for the past few weeks, but he couldn't live without her. Barry had just lost one of the people who means the most to him, and now Iris and the twins she was carrying were the only things he had.

"I'm sad too, Barry," she said softly as she opened her green eyes and the scientist couldn't help but think that Wally had the same eyes. "He was my nephew. I was his Aunt and couldn't do anything to save him. I wasn't here. But I try; I try so hard since his death to…to live. For the sake of our children. For you. But I can't do everything alone."

A lonely tear dripped down her white skin, and Barry bit the inside of his cheek. He always hated seen her crying. It was worst when he was the cause of her pain. It softly trickled across his hand.

"I can't do this without you, Barry." She murmured.

"I promise you Iris, that I will do anything, anything in my power, to get better, pull myself together and help you with our children."

And Barry Allen always honoured his promises.

* * *

><p><strong>|MOUNT JUSTICE<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 3, 11:56 EDT**

M'Gann observed all this souvenirs collected. The first were those Wally found, the rest were those Garfield took. There were fewer souvenirs than usual, because, when the Cave had blown up, a part was destroyed. For example, there was no big eye, which was the first souvenir that Wally found on their first real mission. She smiled sadly at the memory. Those were the good old times, when they were so young and innocent. Now, they were back in the Cave, but it was not the same. Everything was the same and at the same time not the same. It was a weird sensation. Like it feels like home, but not really. Everything seemed so old suddenly.

"M'Gann? Are you okay?"

She turned around to see Conner at the door. She smiled cheerfully at him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good." She reassured him. "I'm just…you know, looking at all these souvenirs and thinking about how we were at that time."

"Those were the good old times, weren't it?" He smiled, coming closer to her. "And we all changed a lot since. Everything's changed since."

"You more than the others." M'Gann affirmed without looking him into the eyes.

"Maybe."

They stood like this, in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, looking at the souvenirs and remembering the missions and all the others stories. And their story. When Conner looked at the first souvenir that Garfield found, he asked:

"And Garfield? Is he OK?"

"He still young but he understands what's going on. And I think he took things very well. Well, for someone who just lost a teammate and a person he admired." Megan sighed.

"Do you need help with him?" Conner asked. "I mean, you know, maybe a little chat man to man is better. Maybe he will be more open."

"You'll do that?"

M'Gann was surprised. Since their break-up, Conner and she didn't talk very much to each other, but since Wally's death, he was at her side more often. Like the good old times. He smiled at her with the smile that always makes her heart beat faster and makes her blush.

"Of course, I'm your friend, remember?" He responded. "I'm here for you."

"My friend. You are right."

Even after their almost-kiss right after the mission in the North Pole, they hadn't tried again. They were okay that it was for the best that they were still just friends. For the moment. They wanted to know more about each other after all these months without really speaking. Plus, M'Gann had just broken up with Lagaa'n, and she didn't feel that beginning a new relationship was a good idea. And then, when they think they are ready, they will be together again. Naturally. Because they loved each other, and nobody and nothing could make that disappear.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"Mm? Yes. Why?" She was surprised by this question.

"You were lost in thought and stopped talking. That's not a thing you do often." Conner explained with a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"I was just thinking about the team, the situation… us." M'Gann responded without looking at him.

"And what is your answer about it?" The half-kryptonian asked.

"That I'm pretty happy about it."

"Me too, M'Gann. Me too."

They smiled at each other like they used to.

* * *

><p><strong>|BATCAVE<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 3, 17:08 EDT**

Tim looked at the redhead. Barbara was on the giant computer of the Bat Cave while Bruce was on a mission with the Justice League. He sighed when he saw her take another cup of coffee. Since Wally's death, she hadn't stop going after criminal, and last week, she was almost killed because she was too tired to protect herself. What she was doing was dangerous, and Tim couldn't let her do that and let herself be killed. She yawned and stood up, her Batgirl suit in her arms, ready to wear.

"Barb." He started. She turned around, surprised to see him.

"Tim! I didn't know that you were here." She smiled at him and he knew her well enough to know that it was a fake smile.

"You going out tonight?" _Again._

"Yeah. You know: the usual. Get some villains, clean up the town." Barbara answered without looking him in the eyes.

"You going alone?"

"Aren't you supposed to be on a date with Cassie tonight?" She avoided his question.

"Cancelled. She's not feeling well. You didn't answer my question." Barbara walked to her bike.

"It was intentional. Did you see my helmet?"

He shook his head to answer. She stalked back into the Cave while Tim observed her. He heard her sniffle, and he began to get worried. He has never seen her cry since Wally's funeral. It was she who held Dick, reassured Artemis, hugged M'Gann, and slept besides Tim when he had nightmares. She never allowed a tear to fall, and Tim was sure that one day, she would break down and he promised himself that he would be there for her. Like every time she was there for him.

"Barb, are you sure everything is okay?" He asked her carefully.

"Yeah. I just…I just need some fresh air. Are you sure you haven't seen my helmet?"

"I'm sure. Maybe Alfred took it so that you could actually sleep a whole night?"

She didn't respond and came closer to him. He saw her suit shaking in her hands. Tim took a deep breath and took her hands in his. Barbara looked at him, surprised. Without a word, he took away her suit.

"I think you need a break." He said softly.

"No. What I need is my helmet and my suit." Barbara retorted in a stern voice. "Give it back."

"Stop. You need a break. And I'm not giving you your suit until you sleep a few hours."

"Stop acting like_ him_!" She screamed suddenly. "You're not _him_. You're not supposed to take care of me. _I'm_ supposed to take care of you! That's my job!"

"Barbara," he smiled a little and pressed her hand, "I'm not a child anymore. You don't need to take care of everyone all the time. Let me take care of you for one night. Please."

She looked at him. The little Tim she met years ago was not there anymore. He was a handsome teenager who was almost taller than the man he had replaced. She smiled weakly.

"You grew up, Tim."

"That's what teenagers do, Barb." He laughed.

"I forgot what it is like." She sighed. "To be a teenager. To feel like the whole word is within my reach… to be happy. I mean, really happy."

One second later she was crushed by his arms in a huge hug. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she felt safe and calm for a moment. That was Tim's super power, making people calm. She pulled away and sniffed again.

"You can break down if you want. It's okay to cry. It's okay to let people you trust see your weakness."

"No. I'm…I'm supposed to be strong. I was supposed to learn how to handle this, how to face this kind of situation and stay calm and not show emotions, but…" He saw her lips shaking and he prepared himself for the worst. "But…I can't keep doing this, Tim! I can't constantly keep a lid on my emotions. For once in my life, I don't have control of my feelings and even if I want to hide it, I just can't! Wally is dead. He gave up his life for the planet and he will never come back. Dick has gone - god knows where - without even saying goodbye while I'm stuck here because he can't handle the situation and I hate him so much for that! I hate him so, so much for not being here with me. Us. Artemis continues to avoid everybody including me and I don't know how to help her, but I want to. And Kaldur is too sad and lost to lead the team properly, so I have to lead them alone!"

"Barb…"

"And I'm so exhausted right now!"

Tim has never seen her like this, so…weak and openly showing her feelings. There were so many tears and her eyes were red. He pulled her against him in another hug.

"I can't believe this is happening…" She cried in his neck while her tears made his T-Shirt wet.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Barbara." He whispered. "Everything's gonna be okay."

"I can't believe it…I can't believe they're gone…"

"I will never leave you, Barbara. I promise you. I will always be here, at your side."

* * *

><p><strong>|BLÜDHAVEN<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 3, 17:16 EST**

Dick placed an empty beer on the table with the others and took another. He hadn't left his apartment since Wally's funeral or spoke to anyone. Barbara tried the first few days, bringing him some food and tried to make conversation. He never responded and his bitterness made her run away, back to Gotham. After seeing that her efforts were in vain, she didn't come back or called. Dick didn't try to text her even though he wanted to. He didn't hear news from Gotham since.

He will always remember what the words he told about his best friend were. _He was such a good person. He was my best friend and everybody will miss him._

"You could have said so many other things, Grayson!" He muttered to himself angrily. "And you choose those words? You are so _stupid._ So, so, so stupid!"

"You could say that." A deep voice came from behind him. "But, personally, I would prefer to say that you are a complete dick."

"You know, doors exist." Dick retorted before finishing his beer.

"I knew you wouldn't answer me if I called."

Dick turned around and looked at his foster father in his Batman suit with a stern expression on his face. He smiled mockingly at Bruce.

"You didn't have to come. I can take care of myself."

"You're drunk. It's not the right thing to do."

Dick took a new beer and twisted the cap off, but a big hand took it before he could take a sip. Bruce broke the beer into his hand, looking straight into his son's eyes.

"Okay, why are you here?" Dick sighed, placing his feet on the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm checking up on you." Bruce answered simply.

"You didn't have to." The younger retorted.

"You are my son, even if it's not biologically. A father checks up on his son." Wayne explained, not moving.

"You've never acted like a father since I became Nightwing, Bruce!" Dick stood up suddenly, glaring at his foster father with an unbridled fury. "Stop lying and tell me what's going on. Or get out of my place."

"You can't keep doing this, Dick! You are destroying yourself, just like Roy used to do."

"Maybe Roy and I are not so different. Maybe it's the best thing to do. Destroy myself and forget what I did to everyone I ever met. How I've hurt everyone who loves me."

Bruce didn't know how to answer. Dick, his son - his little bird - was broken. It was as if he didn't care about his life anymore because he was shattered on the inside. And it was, in a part, because of him. It was Bruce who had allowed the little kid that Dick once was to become a hero and become this guy.

"You're wrong. You are not like Roy."

"How can you know?" Dick asked, his voice shaking.

"Because I know you and I know Roy. You are two different people and you are nothing like him!"

"Well, then that's the problem, Bruce! You don't know anything about me!" Dick yelled. If Bruce wasn't the freaking Batman, he would have been surprised and maybe shaking a little. "You used to. But not anymore."

"Maybe you are right," he conceded. "But I know at least one thing about you. You do not hurt everyone you care about."

Dick started to laugh, and Bruce thought that his son looked like the Joker when he laughed right then whilst being tired and sad and angry. A lonely tear dropped down his cheek, and he didn't know if it was because his son was sad or because he's laughing bordered on something hysterical.

"I do not hurt the people I care about? Is that what you said?" He tried to calm himself but a smile that scared Bruce slightly was still on Dick's face. "Well, let's check. Tula, a good friend of mine, is killed on my first mission as a leader because I didn't think the plan through thoroughly. A few months later, my little brother dies because I wasn't on the mission to protect him like I should have been! And then, I bring my two best friends back into the business because I was incapable of succeeding without them. The result? My best friend had to live away from his soul mate for months, and when they are finally reunited, he dies 'cause I couldn't stop that damn alien invasion in time!"

"Dick… stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault."

Bruce has never been the best father. Usually, it was Alfred who comforted him when he was sad. Bruce never knew which words to say. And now, it wasn't an exception and all the words that escaped his mouth were things that everybody had already told him so many times. But is there truly anything anyone could say to him that would stop this guilt from consuming him?

"Not my fault? Not my fault?! Are you kidding me? You think I don't know what's going on in Gotham? I can't even take care of my own family! I saw Tim before I left. He was devastated.

"I'm pretty sure he's lost with the girl he loves because the person, his supposed big brother, is not there to help him. And Babs? I know how Kaldur is. He can't lead the team to the best of his ability because he's still grieving, so she has to do it on her own. I don't know what else she has to do alone, but it's a miracle she hasn't broken down already. And why does she have to do all of the stuff alone? Because I haven't gone back. And I won't go back. "

"If you know that already, why won't you come back with me?" Bruce asked and Dick looked at him with dark eyes before turning around.

"Maybe because I'm a coward who can't face his friends and family after what he did. Maybe because he doesn't want to see the looks on their faces when they look at the failure that caused so much death. I'm also a selfish bastard who can't face his responsibilities and the pain he caused because he didn't want to suffer anymore. And I don't think I will ever be able to go there again. Now, please, get out of here. I want to be alone."

When he turned around, Bruce was gone and his window was open.

* * *

><p><strong>|SANDSMARK HOUSE<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 3, 17:16 ES**T

Cassie hung up and put her cellphone on the table. She had just told to Tim that she was not feeling well. It was a lie. She merely didn't want to go out, even with him. But she knew that if she told him the truth, he would be hurt, and she didn't want to hurt her boyfriend. She hated lying. But if bending the truth meant she could avoid offending her boyfriend, she would do it again. She was too empathic. She looked at her TV, and sighed as she saw the horrible reality show.

And then, a few minutes later just as she was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on her door. Since her parents weren't there, she stood up with a sigh and went to open the door.

"Jaime!" She exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

She couldn't help but blush. One of her friends - a boy - was at her door, and she wore a simple T-shirt without a bra and a jogging short. There was probably crumbs over her T-shirt and her hair… don't get her started on the possible state of her hair.

However, Jaime smiled cheerfully at her and her heartbeat faster. It made her feel guilty. Why did she feel like this when he was around?

He took of his sunglasses. "Well, Tim called me and said that you weren't feeling well, and because he was with Barbara, he asked me if I could check up on you." He told her before asking in a softer tone. "So…Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course." She responded before quickly adding, "I mean, not so well, because of…because of…" She tried to find an excuse, but when she was with Jaime, she couldn't lie and she didn't know why. He raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face.

"You are such a terrible liar Cassie!" He laughed and she blushed more. "Maybe Tim can't tell when you lie, but I can. So, what's wrong?"

"I told you, I am not feeling well." She repeated, because it was the truth. Well, in part.

"Well, I thing you are not sick, so it must be emotional or mental distress." Blue Beetle suggested and then winced slightly as if his own word choice stung him. But it was quickly masked by an even bigger smile. "I know how to make you feel better!"

"I am not sure if I would like that…" She mumbled, pulling at the edges of her T-shirt.

"I promise you, you would have to do nothing! Just appreciate!" He guaranteed. "So, what do you think? Let your good friend distract you, and maybe that beautiful smile of yours will appear again so that the world can bask in its beauty."

Why couldn't she stop blushing? And why couldn't her heart stop beating so fast? She didn't want to feel like this. Tim was the one who was supposed to make her feel like this. Not Jaime. Jaime was just a good friend, that's all. Nothing more. So, why did she feel like this? She preferred not thinking about the answer.

"Give me a second. I need to change into something more appropriate first."

"Why? Isn't jogging shorts made for going out in?" He asked, looking at her shorts.

Cassie laughed suddenly, expecting him to grin or wink but he didn't. He looked at her completely serious. He really thought that she could go out with him like this. In skin=tight shorts, a T-shirt and with her looking like something might be building a nest in between the tangles.

"Wait, you are serious?" She asked, astonished.

"Yes, why? Did I say something stupid?"

"Mm…Yes." But when she saw his face, she added quickly, "I mean, not really. But a girl can't go out like this."

"Like this?" He repeated, trying to understand.

"Like a mess."

"Well, personally, I think you look beautiful as always." She blushed and he continued. "But if you think you have to wear something more 'appropriate', I'll wait here."

* * *

><p>Cassie has never laughed like this throughout her entire life. Jaime took her for ice cream, and like a gentleman he paid for it. Then, they walked together for two hours, or maybe more, she didn't know, and they told each other all their fears concerning the future. And the Scarab never said anything. Well, Jaime didn't give any indication that it might have made a comment.<p>

And now they were at her door again. Saying goodbye.

"Thank you again, Jaime." She said, trying to catch her breath. Her ribs were aching from laughing so hard. "I've never had so much fun."

"It's nothing, Cass." He said with a smile and she tried not to blush when she heard her new nickname. "That's what friends are supposed to do."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" She asked. "At the team meeting."

"Of course. Bye."

And then he did something unpredictable. He kissed her on the cheek. Nobody kissed her on the cheek. Ever. Not even Tim. She blushed and he laughed more. She closed the door and he didn't stopped smiling.

_"Jaime Reyes, I suggest you stop seeing this girl. She triggers bio-chemical changes to your system."_


	2. The lead

**Special thanks to Talia Whita 14 who help me with my English!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anything famous.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>THE LEAD<strong>

**|NEW ORLEANS**

**|SEPTEMBER 17, 00:17 EDT**

Richard John Grayson was not the kind of man who gave up something easily. When he wanted to find something or someone in this case, he would search every inch of the known galaxy. And he always knew from the very beginning, deep in his soul, that his best friend had never died. In fact, Wally West couldn't be dead. And it was not because he was in denial. No. Not at all.

The fact that there was no body, that Wally just disappeared into thin air, was the first clue that led him to the idea that he was not dead. The second clue was that the redhead disappeared during a storm of speed energy.

Once, the former Kid Flash told him about a sort of… heaven for speeders. A dimension of pure speed energy where the speeders went when they went too fast. It was his only lead right now. Dick already spoke to all of the witches, magicians and other meta-humans he knew or could find, and all of them gave him the same answer: search for the speed force. So, he searched for information, and kept on searching no matter what it cost.

"What do you know about the speed force?"

The woman laughed when he murmured it against her skin. His hand went under her top, stroked her waist and Dick heard her moan. He smiled slightly and pressed her more against the wall and the fingers of this unknown woman twirled into his dark hair.

"I already told you that I can't tell you anything. I made a promise to my people, and we never talk about what we know. Plus, I don't know anything about what you want."

Dick groaned and the woman took that as a sign of excitement. It was more a groan of exasperation. They had been busy for more than thirty minutes and usually they had all cracked by now, but this magician seemed pretty stubborn. But Dick never gave up. His mouth found her neck and his lips touched her white skin. She moaned again. She was close to breaking; he knew it.

"And if I give you a little…compensation?"

She laughed and he touched her blond hair. He closed his eyes, and he imagined red hair. Long red hair. When he looked at her brown eyes, he saw big, ocean blue eyes. He smile at this sight and went back to the woman's neck. Dick didn't even know her name.

"A big compensation, at least."

She had a very pretty laugh. Not as pretty as her laugh, but still, any man would be hypnotized by it. He attacked her neck more vigorously. He shouldn't let thoughts of her distract him. He had other things he needed to do.

"You still sticking with the no?"

"Okay, okay, I give up." Dick looked at her and she stared at him. "What do you want to know about the speed force?"

"I want to know how you pull someone out of there."

She raised an eyebrow and bit her lips. "You seem smart. You have to know that it's difficult to-"

"Skip the explanation," He interrupted her, not smiling anymore, "go to the important part."

"I see someone's a little…_frustrated_." The blonde rolled her hips against his body. "Don't be so grumpy, love. I'll tell you what you want to know."

He froze, not moving – not even daring to breathe - looking at her with the serious expression he's always had since he suit up as Nightwing.

"For getting out a speedster from the speed force, you need to recreate enough speed energy, like-"

"A storm?"

"A storm of speed force, if you want; like the one that my people felt a few weeks ago." Dick frowned but said nothing. "Have I answered your question?"

But how could he pull Wally away from the speed force even if he had enough energy? What would he have to do? Could Wally get out of the speed force on his own, or will he need someone to help him? Probably. He needed to find more information, but the magician didn't seem to know anything else. So Dick nodded slowly and their lips touched again. To be honest, she kissed very well and she smelt like vanilla and cocoa. Odd mix, but yet delicious.

"Well, well, well, it's getting hot in here, isn't it?"

The former Boy Wonder jerked away from the woman he had been kissing as if she was poison, and looked at the redhead who was smirking behind him.

"Roy, what the hell are you doing here?" Dick exclaimed, amazed by this sudden apparition.

"Taking care of you. Now, get off the nice lady's face and bring your ass to the bar. I made a long trip to get here and found you, and I really, _really_ need a whisky."

* * *

><p><strong>|PAOLO ALTO<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 17, 23:08 EDT**

Artemis looked at the girls who had been invading her living room for the past four hours. When she came back from her mission, the girls had already been waiting for her in the kitchen. All they said was that they were there to give moral support and stick together, because Cassie thought that since Wally's death the team was tearing apart. And she wasn't wrong. But Artemis didn't feel like throwing a party or even talking to anyone right now. Not even to her best friends. All she wanted was to be alone with Brucely and eat ice cream while watching a good gore series. Of course, the girls didn't even want to hear her protests.

The blonde looked across the room. A slightly drunk Karen Beecher was currently making some of her famous margaritas – the third time that night - with M'Gann who seemed extremely eager to learn how to make it as well. Meanwhile, Cassie was playing with Brucely, who appeared to like her a lot, with a tennis ball she found behind the sofa at the beginning of the party. At least, one of the inhabitants of this house was having fun. Artemis sighed. She heard Zatanna and Rocket doing some karaoke, singing a song by Bruno Mars, (Grenade) the favourite singer of the young magician. They haven't stopped since Zatanna found a karaoke DVD, under a bunch of stuff. And Barbara was nowhere to be found.

"You know, at least, you could pretend to be happy."

Crap, she really had to stop doing that. Artemis didn't bother to turn around to look at the redheaded girl sitting on the couch next to her, a margarita in her hand. Barbara smiled softly at her. Not a smile of pity that everybody gave to her, but her blue eyes, that were once so full of light, were now dead.

"Can you stop doing that ninja thing? You practically gave me a heart attack!"

"What ninja thing?" Her laugh filled the air and Artemis smiled a little.

"You Bats are so freaking crazy."

"Thank you."

The blonde archer stared at Zatanna and Rocket who just ended with Grenade and began Just The Way You Are. Artemis actually liked this song. It was Wally who made her listen to it when she heard it the first time. She sniffled. Stop. Not now.

"You want to sneak out, don't you?" Barbara asked as she looked at her friend.

"How do you know?"

"It's not hard to see it. You seem… somewhere else. Well, I don't blame you, you know since-" But the young Crock cut her before she could said anything else.

"Please, don't talk about that, or him. Tonight I'm supposed to think about… everything except that." Artemis met Barbara's blue eyes. "And I really don't want to talk. Like at all."

"So…What do you want to do tonight?"

"Girls, here is another litre of margarita made by yours truly! Tell me what you think 'bout it!"

Artemis sighed and looked around her. She really didn't want to sing along with Zatanna and Rocket, and getting drunk was an even less appealing idea. And, apparently, Brucely was very happy with only Cassie.

"Well, how about you tell me where Dick Grayson is?" Artemis asked and Barbara pressed her lips together.

"You want the truth? I don't know." She seemed pretty upset, and sad.

She saw Barbara bite her lips. A new song started, and Zatanna became even more excited.

"'Cause you make feeeel like, I've been locked out of heaveeeen!"

"You've been to his apartment a few times?"

"Yeah, like the first few days after the REACH invasion. After that, I _kinda_ stopped seeing him."

"Why?"

"Issues. Plenty of _bad_ issues."

Artemis bit at her lower lip. She knew that the relationship between Batman's two protégés have always been…complicated. Nobody's known exactly if they were best friends or lovers. Wally never told her, maybe because he himself didn't know. Barbara turned her head to observed the girls who were singing and a muscle above her eye twitched with slight annoyance.

"You want to talk about it?"

"You really want to hear about the problems of your friends to forget your own problems?" Barbara asked. Damn, why did she have to always be this smart?

"For too loooong, for too looooong oh oh oh oh!" The voices of Zatanna and Rocket filled the air, getting louder by the minute. Artemis hoped the neighbours didn't complain.

"Yep." She didn't even bothered to lie.

"Unfortunately, I don't want to talk about mine. So hush, and drink your margarita. Karen is, indeed, really good at it."

* * *

><p><strong>|NEW ORLEANS<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 18, 01:45 EDT**

"So, why are you in New Orleans, Roy?"

They were sitting at the bar, the redhead drinking the whisky he wanted for hours and Dick drinking bourbon, which was better than the beer he had been drinking alone in his apartment for the past few weeks. Dick looked at the magician he was with earlier, who was now drinking and laughing with her friends, probably others magicians, her "people", like she said.

"I already told you, I'm here to take care of you." The archer responded simply. "Because, apparently, you can't do this alone."

"Is it Bruce who sent you here?" Dick raised an eyebrow. "Because if this is Bruce, you can tell him that I can-"

"Slow down there, Boy Wonder! I haven't talked to big bad Bats for weeks."

"So, who send you here? Tim? Artemis? Oh, wait, I know! Barbara?" He tried to guess and Roy sighed.

"No one sent me here Dick. I came on my own, because you need help."

The redhead emphasized the last three words and the younger man crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke again.

"I don't need help. I'm fine."

"Yeah, I can see that," Roy said with a sarcastic snort, "first, you locked everybody away and exiled yourself in your apartment for what? A month maybe? And now, you are here in New Orleans, far from your home, using your charm to try to find a way to get Wally back. But you have to face it, Dick, like everybody did: _Wally is dead_."

Dick bit at the inside of his cheek as one of his closest and oldest friends said the words he denied every day. Roy looked at him, waiting for his response. After a few moments, Grayson talked again.

"What do you _really_ want, Roy?" And he saw the archer roll his eyes.

"I told you: _I'm here for you_."

"Listen Roy, do I have to remind you that a few months ago, it was you in my place? I have nothing to learn from you."

It was a low blow, Dick knew it, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to be alone, doing his research on his own, not with a friend who reminded him of how big a failure he was right now and what he was doing didn't help. Lucky for him, Roy didn't seem to care too much.

"Yeah, I know that. Besides, Wally was my friend too. So I can understand what you are going through. The only one who can really understand what you feel." The former protégé of Green Arrow explained and Dick sighed.

"Listen Roy…I…I just want, need to be alone for a little while. Can you understand?"

This time, it was Roy's turn to sigh. Dick slap himself mentally as he made the decision to not tell Harper about the information of Wally being perhaps not-so-dead. He was already sceptic about what the magician had just said to him a few minutes ago, and the information may be totally false. It could be some sick joke for all he knew And he hated lying to his friend's face but he couldn't bear the weight of giving Roy false hope. Not now.

"Yes. Yes I can."

Dick said to himself that once he had more concrete information, he would tell everybody about Wally. And then, he would get his best friend back and Artemis will have her soulmate back.

* * *

><p><strong>|HAPPY HARBORD<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 18, 03:45 EDT**

There was someone in his apartment. Mal could hear the footstep of the unknown person who wasn't even trying to be quiet. He looked at the clock. 03:34. The lights blinked at him mockingly. The young man groaned loudly at the sight of the hour and returned into his sheets…

Until _someone_ sat down almost on top of him. Malcolm opened an eye with a sighed. He only saw black skin and dark hair but it was enough for him to know_ who_ was there. He knew this person too well.

"Karen? What the hell are you doing up in the middle of the night? In my apartment?" The new Guardian asked, mumbling into his pillow.

"'Just wanted to see you!" Was all she said.

Malcolm made an unsuccessful attempt to wake up and barely managed to get himself to sit upright. His girlfriend was here, sitting on his bed with an alcohol-induced smile on her face. He remembered that she had said this morning that she had a party at Artemis' house tonight. He thought it would be a sleepover and that she wouldn't be home before lunch.

"At three thirty in the morning?" Malcolm frowned as Karen started laughing.

"Oops!" It seemed that she wasn't aware of the time. "I didn't see what time it was when I left the girls."

"And why aren't you with your friends right now?"

She bit her lips in a way that always made Malcolm go crazy and he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Artemis didn't want to have party and she went to bed at midnight…or something like that? I don't remember." The scientist started. "We organ…or…_crap_! We or-ga-ni-zed all that for her but she insisted on acting like a real party-pooper."

"You can't blame her. She's going through a lot of things, sweetie. Give her some time and don't give up. I'm sure she will be okay one of these days." He tried to reassure her and leaned forward to kiss the top of her head.

"Right. Anyways. Raquel fell asleep one hour ago on Artemis' couch. She drank too muuuuch margarita."

"Margarita? As in _your_ infamous margarita?" He asked, interested.

"Yep!" She popped the "p" and smiled at him. "And I had no idea she could hold her liquor as well. I had to make like six batches. And she drank a lot. Like, a lot, y'know?"

"_Damn_…" Mal mumbled under his breath.

He knew that Karen's margaritas have always been very…strong. He had to taste all of her experiments, and the last he remembered gave him the worst headache he ever has. But it was also delicious. Maybe it was because of that that it has always been hard to stop drinking them.

"And the others?"

"Cassie went home at midnight 'cause her parents didn't want her to stay. Y'know, 'cause she's a minor." She lied next to her boyfriend who wrapped his strong arms around her. "Zatanna disappeared, like literally, when I went. She didn't seem to be drunk. By the way, who knew that she loved Bruno Mars?"

"Not me." He answered as he started drawing circle on her right arm. "But I must say I'm not surprised. I mean, you know, his songs are very sweet and always talk about love and all, and Zee is a sweetheart. It seems pretty logical to me."

"That's exactly what I thought," She continued with a yawned. "And Barbara stopped talking when we started talking about boys when Artemis went to bed. It was really weird, like she had a guy who broke her heart or something like that… Y'know, we thought it was because of Nightwing. Silly, huh? I…think she left first."

"Are they all home now? Well, except Raquel?"

"I think so."

"So you should sleep, sweetie. You must be exhausted."

He didn't have to tell her twice.

* * *

><p><strong>|MOUNT JUSTICE<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 19, 18:59 EDT**

Her head was killing her. _Literally_. Zatanna posed a glass of aspirin on the table in front of her and smiled fondly. Raquel growled. She hated having a headache and this one was particularly terrible. But she loved having a decent party, and last night had been really fun.

"Thanks, Zee." The black girl thanked her with a small smile.

"You were pretty out last night!" Her friend laughed.

"Tell that to Karen and her margarita… It's the devil in glasses!" Raquel growled before finishing her glass. "Where is she anyway?"

"I think she is with Mal. He called me this morning." Zatanna explained. "He wanted to know if I arrived safely at home last night."

"He didn't call me!"

"You were at Artemis'. I suppose Karen told him, huh?"

"Right."

They became silent as Kaldur entered the Mount Justice's kitchen. Raquel suddenly found her feet really interesting and the leader of the team passed in front of them without even looking at her. In fact, he avoided her.

"Ladies."

"Hey Kaldur!"

"Kaldur'ham."

The tension was horrible. The Atlantean took a bottle of water from fridge and quickly left the room without another word.

"Whoa. The tension between you two is…" The magician started.

"Horrible? Terrific? Awful?" Raquel tried with a whine.

"You two never talk since…y'know?"

Kaldur and Raquel had been dating for a few months after Savage tried to take the control of the league five years ago. Then Tula and Garth came to the Team. They ended things after Raquel had seen how he looked at Aquagirl when she wasn't looking. She understood at that moment that her boyfriend still had feelings for the girl, and strong feelings. They had always been awkward around each other since that day. Then Tula died, Raquel moved to the Justice League and she rarely had opportunity to talk to Kaldur. After he 'betrayed' them, she had been devastated, of course, because he had been her boyfriend and she always told herself that she had to have noticed something was wrong with him when they were together. Finally she met Adrien, and recently he proposed to her. It was perfect. And then Artemis 'died'. And then Nightwing's plan had been revealed.

"Not really."

The way Kaldur had met Adrien had been…really, really awkward. He came to her apartment a few days after the end of the invasion. It was Adrien who opened the door. There was nothing more to say after he saw the ring on her finger. He looked devastated.

"And..." Zatanna tried.

"And what?" Raquel raised an eyebrow.

"Do you still love him?"

"Do I still love him? Maybe." The new Justice Leaguer said. "I mean, my heart is still beating faster when he's around, and sometimes, I catch myself thinking about what a 'us' would have been, if everything had been different. If he really ever loved me. But I don't want to be with a man who hurt me that much, who lied to me about everything. And I love Adrien. He's funny, smart, and sexy as hell and he makes me feel good."

"It look like you really thought about it." Raquel bit her lower lip.

"I did. I had many nights alone for that."

"Team, suit up and meet me at the briefing room in ten."

The Kaldur's voice interrupted them abruptly. The girls saw the younger members running to suit up the fastest. They walked through the girl's shower as Wonder Girl ran to them.

"Where is Batgirl?" A panting Cassie asked as she joined the older girls. "I through that she would be with us for this mission!" Cassie always liked being in missions with Batgirl.

"Sorry Cass', no Batgirl today! She is in Gotham with Robin. A thing with Black Mask, I think."

* * *

><p><strong>|GOTHAM CITY<strong>

**|SEPTEMBER 19, 21:56 EDT**

Batgirl pulled off her helmet as she looked at the sky. Robin was here, on the top of one these buildings, watching and waiting for the 'fun part' as they called it. The part where the bad guys would be here and the two vigilantes would kick their butts. She really liked working with Tim. He was serious during the mission but he always seemed to have fun when the fight began. Barbara always thought that it was Dick who taught that to the young hero. But it was still not the same what it had been with her best friend.

"Robin, do you see them?" She asked him through the communicator located in her ear.

"Yes." He responded quickly. "But no sign of Black Mask."

"It was something we should think about," The red-head sighed. "Artemis said it was the same thing the other day at Star City with the others. This guy rarely makes this little business by himself. He uses minions."

"But he does the big jobs which he can gain a lot from himself?" Tim guessed.

"Exactly."

They went silent again. It didn't bother either of them. Barbara always liked the silence, feeling everything around her, the wind and the natural sound of the city. And Tim always loved not talking because he could think properly, understand things he couldn't while he was talking or whilst someone was talking to him.

"Black Mask is here!" Tim suddenly said.

"Are you sure that this is him?" Barbara asked as she frowned.

"Absolutely sure." The young teen affirmed firmly.

"Then let's go, Robin!"

Their mission was simple: stop the drug exchanges and capture all of the people they can. The two of them appeared like shadows in the alley, between the fog and the waning moonlight. The sound of Batgirl's bike echoed in the street as Robin jumped from the building.

"_Crap_! The Bat-brats!" One of the guys screamed like a girl.

The pathetic dealers were already scared. Of course, the reputation of the Bat-Clan has always terrified the criminals of Gotham, even in the early Batman days, when the founder of the family fought crime alone.

Taking down the little dealers was in fact the easy part. Batgirl just had to throw a punch right in the jaw of the taller and sweep away the gun of his mate with her leg before Robin punched him in the guts. The smallest tried to escape, trying to steal Batgirl's bike. As swung his leg over the seat, she appeared in front of him, an evil smirk on her face.

"Leaving so soon?" She purred, adrenaline making everything sharper.

"I'm not afraid of you, little girl!" He shouted at her.

"Little girl? _Little girl_? _Really_? That's the best you could come up with?"

He hit the ground before he could say something back. Meanwhile, Robin threw a batarang at the last of them. He hit the wall, knocked out cold by the weapon. And then, an evil laugh filtered through the air. Deep, one of those that gave you nightmares.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Black Mask said as he appeared from the shadows. Alone. "The two Bat-brats! Where is the third? Y'know, the blue bird."

"Not here." Batgirl growled at him.

"It is such a shame, I really like him."

An armada of body guards appeared around their boss. Glock, AK47. They all had some of the more powerful weapons in the world. Taking them down was more difficult than the drug dealers. These ones were not afraid of them, or, at least, they hid it very well.

Barbara always thought that Black Mask was a pathetic guy who wanted misery for everybody, but she never underestimates his skills. She jumped and threw a punch at one of the big guys. He stopped her just in time before using her arm as leverage to toss her violently against the wall. Her vision went fuzzy but she saw Tim flew over the guy. Batgirl stood up quickly and took the gun off one of the man easier than she thought possible and punched him before going after another guy.

"Robin! We have to get Black Mask! He's our priority!" She yelled as he beat the crap out of the henchmen.

"Understood!" He noted.

She threw another punch, and another, and another, and another, and another again. Each one of the kicks were blocked by this big guy. Finally she feinted to the left, flipped away to build up momentum and ran right at him to tackle him. His head struck the tar of the road with a sickening crack. A soft groan escaped his lips but he did not move further. Barbara looked around her. Three guys were surrounding Robin, and Black Mask was nowhere to be found. Did he escape once again? Bruce will have their heads for letting him get away so easily. And then, suddenly, Tim screamed.

"BATGIRL! LOOK OUT!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>to be continued... <strong>_


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